Blind Man's Bluff

The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

By: Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew

Narrated by: Tony Roberts

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

No espionage missions have been kept more secret than those involving American submarines. Now Blind Man's Bluff shows for the first time how the Navy sent subs wired with self-destruct charges into the heart of Soviet seas to tap crucial underwater telephone cables. It unveils how the Navy's own negligence might have been responsible for the loss of the USS Scorpion, a submarine that disappeared, with all hands lost, 30 years ago. It tells the complete story of the audacious attempt to steal a Soviet submarine with the help of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, and how it was doomed from the start. And it reveals how the Navy used the comforting notion of deep-sea rescue vehicles to hide operations that were more James Bond than Jacques Cousteau.

©1998 Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew (P)1998 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Enthralling." (Kirkus Reviews)
"This is the kind of non-fiction that drives people like me crazy. Why? Because it's almost impossible to make up stuff this good." (John Weisman, author of the Rogue Warrior series)

Interesting, but....

While this book is neither well-written, nor well-read, it does contain interesting information about the use of submarines, diesel and nuclear, during the Cold War. It provides insight into the decision-making processes of those in the government as well as in the submarine service. If this a subject you already have knowledge of, don't bother. If not, I at least found it interesting.

Not a submariner, but a sailor nonetheless

No wonder they have been pulling this particular book from navy library. This book is awesome and recommend it to sailors out there!

Inside Look to US Naval History

Immensely fascinating. Learning the history that was secret for so long. Was recommended to me some one who was a former submariner saying “ If you really want to know about subs read this boo.” It definitely lived up to his suggestion.

Stellar

Comprehensive. The best publication on the topic. Hasn’t been topped in 20 years. Narration excellent. Names and acronyms accurately pronounced.

VERY interesting information

What made the experience of listening to Blind Man's Bluff the most enjoyable?

It presented facts from different sources that brought the story of the Glomar Explorer and K129 into very sharp focus.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There are really no identifiable characters in that this is a true story of SPY vs SPY in the major leagues.

Did Tony Roberts do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Story was well read but would benefit from sme perceptive editing.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

My schedule did not allow this but I would certainly have done so if I could.

Any additional comments?

Should be read with Scorpion Down to see the entire picture of the the intelligence capabilities and use of subs.

Great Navy History

This is a fun read read and an engrossing look into the great game of the Cold War. Just which the audio was not abridged.

Abridged! Ugg.

I read the book and the audio book LEFT OUT some of the best stories. The story itself is great, I'm just disappointed they left so much out.

Qualified in submarines in June 1964

This is by far one of the best books on the Cold War that I have read, My enlistment ran from October ‘63 to August '88. During that time I met people in this book and even sailed with some. This book filled in a lot gaps and holes in my memory.

Good info, interesting stories, but ...

... it is more like a set of story pieces from the 60 year history of the use of subs in military intelligence gathering.... and less like a truly connected tale (or even history). The book basically lacks an arc. Also, the audiobook is abridged, and I think the connectivity across the years may get further disjointed as a result. Lastly, at almost every step it seemd as if both the author(s) and the narrator tried too hard to interject slightly heightened (yet transparent) drama whenever possible.

Great story and narrator!

It is very interesting to learn of the significance of our US submarine fleet. Their missions that have been written about in this book sometimes made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up .

The narrative and narrator are excellent!